The present invention broadly relates to an improved construction of apparatus for unwinding printed products wound up in an imbricated formation upon a winding mandrel or core conjointly with a winding strap.
In its more specific aspects the invention pertains to a new and improved construction of an apparatus for unwinding printed products previously wound up in imbricated formation upon a winding mandrel or core conjointly with a winding strap and having a bearing or support arrangement for freely rotatably journalling one winding mandrel at a time, a rotatably journalled and drivable winding strap take-up roll for winding the winding strap unwound from the product coil or wound package, and a pivotably journalled continuous conveyor capable of being positioned in coacting relationship with the winding mandrel, respectively with the product coil or wound package thereon, for conveying the unwound imbricated product formation away.
In other words, the present invention relates to an apparatus for unwinding essentially flat products, such as printed products and the like, that have been previously wound up in imbricated formation on a winding mandrel or core conjointly with a winding strap to form a product package, which apparatus comprises bearing or support means for freely rotatably journalling one winding mandrel at a time, a rotatably journalled and drivable winding strap take-up roll for winding up the winding strap unwound from the product package, and a pivotably journalled continuous conveyor having an effectively conveying run and capable of being positioned in coacting relationship with the winding mandrel for transporting the unwound imbricated product formation away.
In an unwinding apparatus of this type which is known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,618, granted Mar. 27, 1984, the continuous conveyor, which is constructed as a belt conveyor pivotably journalled at its inner end, serves as a support for the winding strap and the printed products wound up with this winding strap. In other words, the belt conveyor extends beneath the imbricated formation. With decreasing coil diameter, the angle of attack of the belt conveyor varies. The slope angle of the belt conveyor must be prevented from becoming too great, since there is otherwise a danger of the printed products sliding. This danger could be countered by employing a belt conveyor with a long conveying path in which the distance between the pivot point of the conveyor and the product coil or wound package is chosen to be relatively great. Such a construction has, however, the disadvantage of a correspondingly greater constructional length. The conveying path defined by this belt conveyor can also not readily be given a shape or course which appreciably departs from a straight line.